The present invention is generally directed to three wheeled pedal powered vehicles adapted for use by small children and, in particular to a three wheeled pedal powered vehicle with independent front and rear steering.
The prior art has proposed three distinct classes of three wheeled vehicles. There are front steering, rear steering and synchronous front and rear steering three wheel vehicles. The earliest three wheeled toy vehicles were front wheel steering in nature and were unable to execute short radius turns, a problem common to all front steered vehicles.
To overcome the disadvantages of the front steered three wheeled vehicles, the prior art developed rear wheel steering devices. These vehicles have a front wheel fixed in a forward direction which is used solely for pedalling and a mechanism for steering the two rear wheels. These back steered three wheeled toy vehicles, while an improvement over the earlier front steered vehicles in terms of handling were still not as maneuverable as hoped. In addition, at high speeds, sharp turns tended to capsize the three wheeled toys because of the fixed front wheels.
A third type of three wheeled vehicle is the synchronized front and rear wheel steering wheeled vehicle. This type of three wheeled vehicle attempts to give the rider greater control and more maneuverability. However, the rider is unable to separately control the front and rear wheels in these three wheeled vehicles.
Although three wheeled vehicles of the above noted types have been used, it is noted that there is a need for a three wheeled vehicle with independent front and rear steering. For a three wheeled to be "crabbed" (to be propelled essentially sideways) it is necessary for the front wheel to be turned in one direction while the rear wheels to be turned in the opposite direction. In addition, when a particularly sharp turn is required, both front and rear steering provides a turn of narrower radius than with either a steerable front wheel or a steerable rear wheel. Accordingly, a three wheel vehicle having independent front and rear wheel steering is desired.